[Myositis--a rare complication of Crohn disease]

Crohn's disease is a chronic relapsing inflammatory disorder primarily affecting the gastrointestinal system. Extraintestinal manifestations such as erythema nodosum, iridocyclitis, arthritis and sclerosing cholangitis are frequent. We report on a 57-year old male patient with the symptoms of Crohn's disease. Clinically he showed signs of a muscle disorder and muscle biopsy demonstrated a perimysial inflammation with lymphocytes and histiocytes. Complete remission was achieved by immunosuppressive treatment. Six cases presented in the literature are reviewed and the autoimmunological aspects of the pathogenesis discussed.